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Michael Gallagher

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Posts tagged ‘wine’

I know that we probably cannot rave about this place enough, but Enoteca Adriano, never ceases to amaze; which is why we swooped up the last 7 o’clock reservation on Valentine’s night at this adorably romantic Italian spot. It’s really too bad that the boys were preoccupied that night, but fear not, we just took each other out for the occasion!

Burrata Enoteca

Apparently, we were the only friends who faced this minor dilemma, because everyone else in the entire restaurant was happily coupled, romantically gazing at each other, comfortably positioned hand in hand. It might be an understatement to say that, yep, it was awkward and we sure felt out of place, but the food and service was nothing but the best.

Tonight, we decided to try the Burrata Enoteca as an appetizer, which is my new favorite thing. Basically, it is a big hunk of delicious creamy fresh mozzarella. It’s more solid on the outside, but when you cut into the center, the consistency is soft and creamy. This hunk of glory was placed on top of a large slice of wonderfully cured prosciutto, accompanied by some roasted heirloom tomatoes and wilted garlic spinach, and tied together with a simple balsamic-olive oil drizzle.

We. nearly. died. It was THAT good.

Then we split the Spaghetti Polpette (translated: spaghetti and meatballs), which was just what we were looking for, after finishing such a rich and decadent appetizer.

Just as we were winding the evening down (and finishing the great bottle of wine we brought along…gotta love no-corkage Monday’s), Chef Franco came out to greet us! After expressing a mutual adoration for the Enoteca and the Little Yellow Kitchen, he came equipped with two glasses of the tastiest dessert wine, Lungarotti, and a much anticipated Pope’s Pillow. This dessert, presentation and flavor profile, is unparalleled. It is big enough to use as a pillow to catch a snooze on…and the mascarpone cream filling would sure be able to provide adequate neck support. YUM.

Needless to say, Enoteca Adriano is such a jewel in Pacific Beach (a place mostly known for its rowdy bars and influx of young college kids), quietly perched a few blocks away from the madness, on Cass Street. If you live in or ever visit San Diego, you must stop by. The amazing Chef Franco will surely greet you with open arms and will send you off with a happy tummy and a “Grazie Mille”. What more could you ask for.

This is the “neck support” I was talking about. That puff pastry square is jam-packed with mascarpone goodness.

This dessert wine brings me back to the time I spent living in Siena.

Lungarotti, Vino Dolce from the Umbria Region, Italy

I think this is the point we had to stop eating, to prevent immediate food coma… we still had to ride our bikes a few blocks home.

Fresh berries, everywhere!

The End. We got home just in time to pass out to the Bachelor. Perfect.

FYI– Here is: Enoteca Adriano’s Facebook fan page, and here is From The Little Yellow Kitchen’s Facebook fan page... we are friends you should be too!

Sorry for the lag on blog-posting. I needed a bit of extra time for optimum post-birthday recovery. This could have been the reason why…

A great pick from Trader Joe's wine selection

Since Lauren and I are new to the “real job” scene, as full-time office employees, and skipping responsibilities means more now than just ditching class or procrastinating on a paper, I’d never really thought about working on my birthday! Apparently everyone does it. Its no secret in the workplace. Well, as I shuffled off to work for the day, thinking it would feel like normal, I was in for a treat!

After a great day at work, filled with birthday bagels, lots of homemade goodies, and a definite sugar overload, it was time to start the celebrations. A few co-workers treated me to a glass of wine and delicious appetizers at Donovon’s. They were passing around tender steak sandwiches, which paired wonderfully with my glass of a rustic spicy merlot. We all shared a strawberry-garnished crème brulee, speckled with fresh vanilla bean.

Dinner was next on the festivity schedule.

Choosing the location wasn’t an easy task when there are so many amazing restaurants that San Diego has to offer. I chose Lupi Cucina, which is a cozy little place, situated a few blocks from the ocean on a pretty lit-up La Jolla street. We ordered a bottle of Sangiovese Wine to accompany the following delicious Italian dishes that were favorites at the table:

And then dessert arrived, a perfectly fluffy piece of gourmet Tiramisu…

Tiramisu!

This decadent Tiramisu, topped with a candle didn’t last very long looking pretty on that plate though; there were plenty of spoons in on the action. Lauren had also picked up some really tasty gourmet mini cupcakes (chocolate sprinkled with sea salt, classic black & white, and chocolate with caramel butter cream) from TJ’s earlier that day and brought them along—it was such a good idea, since ordering desserts can get pricey.

"Divine Nine" Cupcakes from Trader Joe's

All in all, it was a really great birthday, full of fun memories and accompanied by great friends! Thanks everyone!

Since I’ve been sick the last week and a half and Chrissy’s month long gym pass to the best gym ever expired (really Chrissy…a spa, a steam room AND a free massage?!) via a www.Groupon.com purchase, we had been feeling like slugs for the last few days. We decided that despite the 47 degree weather that exists this close to the beach in winter, it was time to break out the bicycles and cruise down the street to the CUTEST wine bar north of Little Italy.

So, we strapped a wine bottle to Chrissy’s back (free corkage Wednesday is our new favorite thing), bundled up and headed over to Enoteca Adriano, which was decorated nicely with Christmas lights. The scream-o music that was playing as we strolled up was a little unsettling but the waitress assured us that it was supposed to be Christmas music, the rest of the night the music was far more pleasant.

We love our bikes.

After we found a seat the waitress popped open our bottle of Chianti for us and brought over a delicious mozzarella panini with an herbed balsamic and oil dip as the starter. We were tempted to ask for a refill but politely refrained, also sparing ourselves quite a few calories.

Free Panini!

After much deliberation between splitting either the Gnocchi di Casa with pesto and Gorgonzola cream sauce or the nights special, Puttanesca, we went with the the latter. The perfectly spicy red sauce on penne speckled with capers, kalamata and green olives, pancetta and shavings of fresh parmesan was delicious! This just might be one we have to recreate, stay tuned. Needless to say we made the right meal choice (not that there would have been a wrong one though) and still had left overs for lunch the next day. Gotta love those hearty Italian dishes!